Post-offige cabinet



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1. P. J. RAMION. POST OFFICE CABINET.

No. 451,436. Patented Apr. 28, 1891.

fimassma I I V 6 i I HE NORR (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2. P. J. RAMION.

POST OFFICE CABINET.

No. 451,436. Patented Apr. 28, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT @rricn.

PETER J. RAM'ION, OF SYRACUSE, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO FREDERICK V.FENNER, OF LITTLE UTIOA, NEXV YORK.

POST-OFFICE CABINET.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters latent No. 451,436, dated April28, 1891. Application filed December 13, 1896). Serial No. 374.622. (Nomodel.)

T all whom it may concern: struction, convenient and practical in use,Be it known that 1, PETER J. RAMION, of and possesses a great amountofworking- Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in the surface. It iswell known that at certain State of New York, have invented new andportions of the day the postal-stamp clerk 5 useful Improvements inPost-Office Cabinets, has comparatively little to do and can then ofwhich the following, taken in connection readily occupy himself inassorting the vawith the accompanying drawings, is a full, riousdenominations of the stamp-sheets and clear, and exact description.separating a number of them into single My invention relates to animproved poststamps in readiness for instant use. It is [0 office case,and has for its object the producequally well known that at otherportions of tion of a simple and effective device compact the day he isunusually pressed for time, being and pleasing in form and strong,durable, frequently required to wait upon a number and highly efficientin use; and to this end of customers at almost the same time, and theinvention consists, essentially, of an outer consequently if the stampsheets are ar- 6 [5 frame having a hinged cover, apocket hinged rangedaccording to denomination and if he to the cover, whereby the pocket isswung is well provided with a number of single 111t0 operative positionwhen the cover is stamps the buyers can be readily furnished open, and aseries of compartments beneath with the required amount and denominationsaid pocket. of stamps in a comparatively short time. My 20 Theinvention also consists in a case hav-' invention is designed to presentthese very ing a tapering front face, aseries of compartessentialqualifications and to greatly sysments formed without a front wall andhavtemize the work of the postal-stamp clerk. ing the forwardextremities of their base pro- A represents the outer case, which may bejectingin proximity to the front face,whereby of any desirable form,size, and construction. 2 5 their edges recede one from the other, amov- As illustrated, it is provided with handles Z, able drawer at thebase of the outer receptaand the front side a is inclined from its basecle, and a series of pockets removably secured upwardly for a portion ofits length for formin said drawer. ing the upper extremity of the baseof less The invention furthermore consists in the' area and depth thanits lower. The top a of 0 detail construction and arrangement of the thecase ispreferably hinged at a at its rear parts, all as hereinafter moreparticularly deextremity, and is hinged at a to the front scribed, andpointed out in the claims. side a, which, as preferably constructed, isIn describing this invention reference is composed of two parts hingedtogether at a, had to the accompanying drawings, forming in order that,as best seen in Figs. 2 and 3, 8 5 a part of the specification, in whichlike letthe front side a may fold backwardly over ters indicatecorresponding parts in all the the top a when the case is open for use.views. I (0'' represents a forwardly-projecting shoul- Figure 1represents an isometric perspecder at the lower extremity of the closedfront tive of my invention. Fig. 2 is a front view side a, which isadapted to carry one mem- 0 of the case in its open position. Fig. 3 isa her a (shown by dotted lines at Fig. 3) of a vertical sectional viewof the parts as shown suitablelock, the opposite member of which in Fig.2. Fig. t is a top plan View of the dea is carried by the lower end ofthe side at. tached drawer at the base of the receptacle. This lock maybe of any desirable form, size, Fig.5 is an isometricviewof a series ofpockand construction; but it is unnecessary to 4 5 ets detachablysupported in the drawer. Fig. herein further illustrate or describe thesame, 6 is an isometric perspective of the preferable it beingunderstood that when the front side form of compartment, and Fig. 7 isan isoa assumes its normal position the opposite metric perspective of amodified form of the portions of the lock engage and securely lockcompartments. the case from intrusion until the proper key I00 50 Agreat want has heretofore existed for a is applied at the key-hole aFig. 1.

post-officecase which is economical in con- B represents a compartmentat the top of the case A, and C a pocket normally within saidcompartment. As best seen in Fig. this pocket- (1 is of greater heightthan depth, and is inclined on its top face, being preferably hinged atcto the cover a, in order that when said cover is opened the pocket maybe swung from the compartment B into a substantially upright position,thus forming a support for the cover and presenting a greater amount ofworking-surface than would be present were said compartmentin itsposition assumed when the cover is down.

Beneath the compartment B is a series of compartments D and D, which arepreferably removable from the case at will and are supported uponsuitable guides d, projecting from the side walls A and A of the case.These removable compartments D and D are preferably formed without afront side, and their front edges are preferably inclined in conformityto the inclined portion of the front side a of the outer shell, in orderthat the front edges (1 of said compartments may recede one from theother to permit the clerk to more readily engage the desired stampsheetwithout removal of the compartment and to see a portion of the sheet;before it is engaged.

Some of the compartments D are p ref erabl y of less width than thelower compartments D, as best seen in Fig. 2, being separated by apartition D provided with the compartment-supporting guides d.

One, or more, of the con'ipartments D is for the quarter stamp-sheetsand is provided with a rear shoulder (Z at a suitable distance from itsfront edge to suit the width of the sheet. On the other hand, the lowercompartments D and the pocket 0 are intended for whole stamp-sheets,with each compartment preferably reserved for a particular denominationof stamp. By this arrangement the operator can, after constant use andindeed almost from habit, pick out the required denomination of stamp,and either whole, half, or quarter sheet, as required.

The preferable form of compartment (shown at Fig. 6) is formed without afront wall, and is provided at its front edge with a cut-out D, havingusually a metallic facing D and a cross-bar D which projects across thefront of said cut-out and permits ready engagement with the finger.

At Fig. 7 I have shown a compartment which is unprovided with thecut-out D-,and ishardl y as desirable or convenient as the constructionseen at Fig. 6.

At the base of the case A is a removable drawer E for containing thechange and the single stamps. This drawer is also locked to the shouldera by any desirable construction of lock e, (not necessary to hereinillustrate or describe,) and is provided wit-h a handle'c to permit itsready withdrawal when the members of the lock are disengaged. At thebase of the drawer E are one or more compartments E, the front one ofwhich is formed into a series of divisions e for presenting additionalstamp room, should it be desirable, for smaller portions of thestamp-sheets than it is desirable to place in anyof the compartments D.

E represents a frame having a series of compartments c for receiving thechange given to the clerk, and E" represents a frame having a series ofcompartments 6 for single stamps. This frame E is preferably detachedfrom the ease in order to permit entrance to the divisions of thecompartments E and further increase the working-surface of the case.

The parts of my invention are simple in construction, and its use,practicability, and adaptability for the purpose intended are apparent.

Its operation will be readily understood from the foregoing descriptionand upon referenee to the drawings, and it is evident that at a slightcost I produce a highly-efficient case which greatly systematizcs thestamp clerks duties and materially increases his eapabilityand theconvenience of the public. It is apparent, however, that the detailconstruction and arrangement of my case may be somewhat changed fromthat shown and described without departing from the spirit of myinvention.

Having thus fully described my invention, what I claim as new, anddesire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The herein-described postal-case, the same comprising an outer shell,a hinged top, a side hinged to the hinged top, and a series of removablecompartments within the case, said compartments being formed without afront wall, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

2. The hereindescribed postal-case, the same comprising an outer shell,a hinged top, a side hinged to the hinged top, a series of removablecompartments within the case, said compartments being formed without afront wall, and a lock for securing the said hinged side in position,substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The herein -described postal -case, the same comprising an outershell, a hinged top, a side hinged to the hinged top, and a pockethinged to the top, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

l. The herein -described postal-case, the same comprising a hinged top,a side hinged to the top, said side having its lower end hinged to itsupper end, whereby the side folds above the top, substantially as andfor the purpose specified.

5. The herein-described postal-ease, the same comprising an outer shell,a hinged top,

a side hinged to the top, said side having its lower end hinged to itsupper end, whereby the side folds above the top, and a lock for securingsaid hinged side in position, substantially as and for the purposedescribed.

0. The herein-described postal-case, the

ICC

IIO

same comprising an outer shell, a hinged top, aside hinged to the top,said side having its lower end hinged to its upper end, whereby the sidefolds above the top, and a pocket hinged to said top, substantially asand for the purpose set forth.

7. The herein-described postal-case, the same comprising an outer shell,a hinged top, a side hinged to the top, and a series of removablecompartments of Various widths, said compartments being formed without afront wall, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

8. The herein-described postal-case, the samecomprising an outer shellof less depth at its top than its base, a front side hinged at its upperextremity, whereby it folds outwardly, and a series of removablecompartments of varying depth, substantially as and for the purpose setforth.

9. The herein-described postalcase, the same comprising an outer shellof less depth at its top than its base, a front side hinged at its upperextremity, whereby it folds outwardly, and a series of compartmentshaving their front edges inclined, whereby the front edges of their baserecede one from the other, substantially as and for the purposespecified.

10. The combination of an outer shell, a hinged top, a compartment atthe top of the outer shell, a pocket supported in said compartment, anda hinge between said pocket and hinged top, whereby the former swingsfrom said compartment, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

11. The combination of an outer shell having a hinged top, a compartmentat the top of the outer shell, a pocket supported in said compartment, ahinge between said pocket and hinged top, whereby the former swings fromsaid compartment, and a drawer movably mounted at the base of saidshell, substantially as and for the purpose described.

12. The combination of an outer shell havthe purpose specified.

13. In a postal-case, the combination of an outer shell having a seriesof guides and formed with an inclined front face, and a series ofcompartments movable in said guides, said compartments being formedwithout a front wall, substantially as and for the purpose described.

14. The combination of an outer shell having a series of guides, aseries of compartments movable in said guides, said compartments beingformed without a front wall, a cut-out in the front edge of one or moreof said compartments, and a projecting bar at the front of said cut-ont, substantially as and for the purpose set forth.

15. The combination, in a postal-case, of an outer shell having a seriesof guides and formed with an inclined front face, a series ofcompartments movable in said guides, said compartments being formedwithout a front wall, a cut-out in the edge of the wall of one of saidcompartments, and a bar D substantially as herein shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto signed my name,in the presence oftwo attesting witnesses, at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga, in theState of New York, this 12th day of July, 1890.

PETER J. RAMION.

Witnesses:

CLARK H. NORTON, L. M. BAXTER.

